How to Repair Pedestal Table Legs by

[@peterwest7855]

Scott, I really look forward to your latest videos. You have provided my greatest practical understanding of wood adhesives, what and where to use them. Good luck with your search for a sponsor. I see you have over 90K subscribers; hopefully you will hit the 100K before the end of the year!

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for your support Peter and for being a subscriber!

[@markjohnson3493]

Had to repair a dining room table where the Duncan Phyfe leg came off. Couldn't have done it without this video. Thanks Scott!

[@FixingFurniture]

Fantastic! Glad to hear you successfully repaired it Thanks for sharing that. Scott

[@glencrandall7051]

In my opinion the hardest part of furniture repair is the disassembly. You make that part easy to comprehend with your videos and commentary. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for sharing that Glen. Much appreciated! Scott

[@richardbrobeck2384]

For Sure and I find nails being one the toughest to deal with !

[@bonnieirwin1621]

Hello Scott! I have a very old Duncan Phyfe, don't know if that's how it's spelt dining room large table. Anyway, Hurricane Katrina did a number on that 2, 3 legged ...legs. My dad tried to reglue and screw them together but nope! He passed on then I got that table. My husband wanted me to toss it but it has a buffet and china cabinet, both also damaged 18" up. It belonged to my great grandmother. Her beautiful bedroom set was also damaged. Katrina, that bit*^! Anyway, thank you for giving away you secrets for clamping those curved legs!! I tried to clamp them with no luck but now I know the proper way, thanks to you!! Thanks so much!!

[@inspector8572]

My wife has the bigger size of that exact table. She said her Nanny had the smaller one like the one you are repairing and they are Tea Tables like coffee tables but expressly designed for a formal room with couches and when the tea service arrived the drop wings were raised to accommodate service size for guests… when service was complete the wings were dropped back down to regain room.

[@FixingFurniture]

Oh, that's cool. Thank you for sharing that knowledge! I appreciate it! Scott

[@kentrichardson9070]

I find myself reaching for my cranked neck chisels more than any other. I would like to see more wood channels promote them. Cheers

[@tombaker3794]

At 8:35 rather than using a large diameter plug cutter, I've used a device called by the marketer a "screw extractor". It is a hollow hardened tube with an ID slightly larger than the screw, and with saw type teeth on the end. It works very well, saved my hide multiple times during projects when screws broke during assembly. Don't know who makes them, or where I purchased mine, but Google probably knows. Afterthought, these would work to get access the the nails as well.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for being a subscriber Tom! Scott

[@randykane474]

This is what I needed. I have an old swivel desk chair and the legs might be similar to how these were attached. The wood seat is split so I'll watch a few more videos for those hints. Thanks for sharing. I may arrange a zoom consult.

[@charleslamont2963]

This repair is so, so timely for me right n o w. My sister dropped off an 1860's circa walnut piece just like yours, but a bit larger, and with only one loose leg. The other 3 legs are nice and tight.

[@Whistlewalk]

What I learn from your shows is that it takes a great deal of patience to get the job done correctly. Beautiful work.

[@FixingFurniture]

Yes, it does Linda. Thanks for sharing that. Scott

[@rogerstapley1561]

Another first class video Scot. As usual, I picked up a few new pointers. You mentioned the small size of the table. I have repaired and sold a few of these, sometimes come as a pair, perhaps meant to be side tables. They are All wobbly!

[@FixingFurniture]

Oh, interesting. Thanks for sharing that Roger!

[@DougAdams-uo1ee]

OUTSTANDING VIDEOS!!! Thank you for sharing your expertise with all of us! Would like to hear more about Zoom help. I have an old single pedestal oak rolltop desk and chair that was my great grandfather's. I'm 61 years old so it is OLD! Thank you again!

[@CARLOSTREUIL]

I enjoyed seeing you in action again. I liked the idea of using a plug cutter to make a nice symmetrical hole around the nail. I might have taken a different approach to the hole repair and turned a dowel to plug the hole to provide a bit more strength to the finished repair. Thanks for sharing.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for sharing that Herb. And thank you for being a subscriber and supporting our channel! Scott

[@junkstough6622]

Some of the most soothing and informative videos I have ever seen. Just one issue. Some of your videos are too long. Is it possible for you to split every project into multiple videos?

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for the suggestion. We've tried doing Part 1 & Part 2 videos, but viewers prefer all the content to be in one video. If you only watch part of one video, you can go to your view history to watch the rest of it later. I hope that helps. Scott

[@singingneedle953]

Just discovered you from a search, since I have a three-legged pedestal table that needs repair. Thank you so much for sharing this process! Completely demystified the process and I'm way less intimidated now!

[@toalesovikk7168]

I pressed on this video because this pedestal looks just like the one my mom has. The leg design is the same but it’s round on top.

[@kayjones392]

I have a small drop leaf table, with straight legs. I bought it for limited space by a couch to hold a lamp.. When we moved, it now sits at the end of my hall and holds family pictures. Great table

[@bdanc]

it's great how to repair the furniture I will learn from this video, always successful. ❤

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Theo_T.]

Hello Scott, I actually did another "Fixing Furniture" night tonight. And I noticed that I haven't subscribed to you yet. Happened now and greetings from Germany. Thank you for your calm and instructive videos.

[@jill552]

I enjoyed this video and learned a few new things. Thank you.

[@FixingFurniture]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing that and being a subscriber! Scott

[@schechnera]

Finding previous repairs is like furniture archeology. Great video as always, Scott.

[@FixingFurniture]

Glad you enjoyed it Adam and thank you for being a subscriber! Scott

[@ViKee010]

I have that exact table in the large version. We use it as our kitchen table. I believe perhaps the one you have is a salesman sample table. It’s just a guess but it’s really cute. Thanks for the video. ✌🏻🤍🤞🏽

[@Goalsplus]

I like your methodology. I think it's important because there's always possible surprises from the previous repair, original manufacturer and damage.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you. Scott

[@rahimasabit56]

It is great learn fix chair legs, how about has screw on it chair legs.

[@bobbabcock3847]

Great vid!

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you Bob. Scott

[@yolandaneely6431]

You are amazing! Just got a table with same problem! However, with your step by step process, I'll conquer!! Thank you

[@gracianaabreu732]

Muy bonita reparación, no es ningún misterio la mesa chica,se usaban y también se usan ahora, cómo mesita auxiliar, para tomar café.

[@michodagher8818]

this is the first video i have seen from this channel. loved the info and the knowledge. but more importantly, its nice to see someone who goes through the comments and responds. good on you, Scott. keep it up :) i'll subscribe just to give you support. keep at it

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you. I appreciate that!

[@justsomebloke621]

I use mowhawks hard fill kit, comes with the same soldering iron. I also have the propane one as well.

[@brenthuxford8726]

I have not been behind on your videos until today! I can’t believe I missed this for 2 whole days. As always, great video.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for watching Brent. Cheers. Scott

[@edmastin74]

I predict using both new and improved methods, but my choice would be constructing a replacement stretcher. Thank you Sir as I done both, you have still taught me.

[@strongjohn10956]

Really nice job, and another very informative video. Your demonstrations and explanations are very clear and concise. Appreciated very much. BTW, I think this table was designed to be a coffee table, hence its relatively short height.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you very much! That's an interesting thought to explain why that table was so small. Thanks for sharing that. Scott

[@cobberpete1]

And another Fine Job Completed. Great explanation on the Cauls.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you Peter. I appreciate that. Glad it was clear. Scott

[@AlMeans]

Thanks, Scott. I've been subscribed for a while. This one seems a little more informative than the others I've watched and I thoroughly enjoyed your getting into the minutia of your work, especially the clamp blocks. Good stuff!

[@amr4e85]

Hey i love the videos. Keep them coming. Super interesting. I had a table recently that was broken that i was honestly gonna throw out. Not old or good quality but then i thought about you and was like, i should get my feet wet and try and fix this. I dont have all the tools you have, but also it didnt require the same type of repair you usually do. It was still fun and satisfying to fix. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@FixingFurniture]

That's wonderful to hear! I'm glad you were able to complete the repair and have fun doing it! Thanks for sharing that. Scott

[@MASI_forging]

Another great video 😃😃

[@claudialautenslager8695]

I love the way you explain everything you are doing and why. Great video.

[@FixingFurniture]

Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for being a subscriber Claudia! Scott

[@katherineharper-sj4ys]

Thanks again for an informative video. I always learn something.

[@FixingFurniture]

Excellent, glad to hear that. I love to teach so your comment is rewarding for me. Thanks Katherine

[@sween187]

In the past for custom furniture there could be display models so a customer can see what the finished piece would look like, this is back when stuff was all hand made to order so very little stock crowding up your shop

[@FixingFurniture]

Cool! Thank you for sharing that. It makes sense now! Scott

[@lindamarsh6711]

I concur. They made a chair to go with it. I believe there was a Duncan Phyfe manufacturer in Ontario years back. My set is of course full size. I love it as Phyfe furniture fit beautifully in an apartment dining room. The chairs are lower. Great for short women! Lol🎉🎉

[@kimstevens9784]

Scott, thank you for your helpful videos. I have a similar small table but instead of a metal mechanism to hold the sides up there is just a small movable piece of wood. They work really well and I'm wondering when the table might have been made?

[@FixingFurniture]

Hi Kim. The best way to determine the age is to look for the name of the maker on the piece, typically on the bottom and then do some research. Without that, it's difficult to know. Cheers.

[@krzysztofccc2705]

Bardzo pożyteczny filmik. Dziękuję bardzo. Zdrowia i powodzenia życzę.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. Scott

[@lindamarsh6711]

What a beautiful little Duncan Phyfe table. It’s almost identical to the larger one I’m sitting at right now. Mine has no nails, thank Goodness. It’s very solid. I have the 4 lyre chairs that go with it. I plan to refinish the top of the table as someone was not at all kind to it. 🇨🇦👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻☝🏻

[@FixingFurniture]

That's cool. Thanks for sharing that Linda! Scott

[@alexandrakoutsis7146]

Nice job! What glue did you use?

[@JoeSmith-yo1zc]

Great video and explanation. Cheers and thank you

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks Joe! And thank you for being a subscriber! Scott

[@Fullthrottle375]

Great seeing another tutorial Scott! KZbin and their shorts....

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for watching Shawn! Scott

[@hydroxacte]

There is a variety of small silicon brushes sold to cooks, I wonder if they would be better for spreading glue than artist brushes. Easier to clean?

[@FixingFurniture]

Good suggestion David. I've looked at a number of silicone brushes but I have yet to find one that has a round end for inserting glue in mortises. I'd be happy to try one if you've seen one with a round end. I wash out by artists brushes with soap & water after each use, and if I forget (that sometimes happens), vinegar does the trick to loosen the glue. Cheers. Scott #tip

[@rogercarrico4975]

Work at a bench. Doing that work for decades! Just about every antique piece you'll get. Is driven full of Nails and screws. Along with ill fitting, slopply glued old breaks. Nothing to do but dissemble it all best you can. ( Just as you did) Trying not to cause further damage. But it happens. Just have to repair, make new parts accordingly. I don't recall ever seeing a drop leaf table that small. I wonder if it could have been a manufacturers salesman sample peice. Just a thought. 🤔

[@Isabel-belsai]

Thanks for another madter class, you're a great teacher!

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you Isabel. I appreciate that! Scott

[@davecurda2350]

Great job

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks Dave! And thank you for being a subscriber and supporting our channel. Scott

[@robertlivingstone3947]

Scott back years a go sale men had small furniture samples to show customers what to order great video

[@FixingFurniture]

Oh, a sample table. That makes sense. Thanks Robert! Scott

[@triplex86]

Another superb video Scott - very informative and clearly explained.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks. Glad you liked it! Cheers

[@johnnyjeastbelfast8795]

i have an oval dining table bit it wobbles from 1 leg to the other by approx 0.5 cm. The legs are all solid to the main pedestal. Inside the main pedestal it seems the 4 legs are tightened with 4 thick nuts onto bolts which are all tight. The main table bolts onto atje pedestal with 4 hex bolts. Reassembling would the nuts need to go into the exact same holes or does that not matter.. Thanx

[@FixingFurniture]

If I understand your question properly, you're asking if each bolt needs to be reinstalled into the same leg it came out of. No, they should all be the same size, so they can go into any leg. Does that answer your question?

[@antonioreyesgutierrez3966]

Muy instructivo video a la vez que distraido. ¡ Gran trabajo, mi enhorabuena !

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you Antonio! Scott

[@caroltanzi29]

Scott: nice fixing. This could be a salesperson’s sample. However, a thought occurred to me. What if it was a custom piece made to be a small pull up tea table for a small loveseat of that period. Just a thought. Carol from California

[@FixingFurniture]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that Carol. Good to hear from you.

[@caroltanzi29]

@@FixingFurniture Scott: I forgot to tell you that I emailed Lee Valley about you and your talent. They emailed me back to say they weren’t doing any sponsorships now, but they would keep you in mind. Would you like me to forward that email to you? Carol

[@garyledford2901]

I have the larger version of this table with the exact same patterns and hardware. does anyone know what style this is and when it was probably made?

[@peachstreetrestyle2518]

Hi Scott, thank-you for this video. Could you make a video showing how to make these cauls without power tools? I do not have a band saw. Thank-you! By the way, I have tried using a coping and Japanese saws and I can't get the curve.😢 maybe it's not possible.

[@FixingFurniture]

Hi. I'm going to refer you to James Write's channel for a video showing how to cut curves in wood with hand tools. Here's the video. James is a great teacher and I'm sure you'll enjoy this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJScgZyOqcSBmKs

[@peachstreetrestyle2518]

Thank-you Scott! I appreciate your guidance!

[@annebierce5280]

Good question, no room for a band saw so I think I will use my jig saw. I never seem to have good control with a hand saw.

[@dzymslizzy3641]

Did you say that special chisel was called a "dog-leg" chisel? I've heard of those, and know they have an offset, but I don't have one.

[@gav2759]

Here's a sorry tale, probably familiar to all furniture repairers. One elderly gentleman, brought in a wee table with a broken pedestal. He basically wanted me to salvage his 50 year marriage. Poor guy was unsteady on his pins and stumbled against the family heirloom. What follows is the stuff of nightmares. In a state of reproachful panic, he had a go at the casualty with Uhu, or similar glue. Well it certainly stuck, but not quite in the space it had formerly occupied. I hadn't the heart to tell him that keeping cool and bringing it to me in the first instance, for what would have seen a 5 minute repair, would have avoided the surgery it ultimately required. I don't know if I kept them out of the clutches of divorce lawyers, but I like to think my repair "looked pretty good" ..sorry, that's the other guy...Thanks for posting.

[@FixingFurniture]

Ouch, yes, it's never easy to undo a bad repair. That's part of the reason I make these videos... so people can learn the right way to do the repair or at least understand that it's beyond their skill and to seek out a professional to do the repair. Thanks for sharing that tale. Scott

[@kayb1963]

If a foot is broken near the bottom, how do I reattach it properly?

[@texanasimmons1761]

This table could be a salesman sample or store sample. Being thiis small the store that sold it would have room for lots of designs.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for sharing that idea Texana. That makes sense now! Scott

[@Cradley684]

NIce one Scott !!!.😀😀👍👍.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks Brian. And thank you for being a subscriber!

[@KarlBunker]

My family had a full-sized version of that table when I was a kid. It had the same drop-leaf top and the legs were exactly the same, with the flutes along the top and the hollow brass lion's paw feet. And it always had one loose leg. The only way to keep it from wobbling was to put a paperback book under that one foot. It's too bad that A) I was just a kid, and B) I didn't have access to this video.

[@FixingFurniture]

Yes, KZbin would have been useful back then. I've learned a lot in the past from TV shows like The New Yankee Workshop, Hometime, and This Old House. Cheers. Scott

[@manuelsoul1]

Ottimo lavoro come sempre maestro, un saluto 👍👍👍👍👍👍👋👋

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you Manuel! Scott

[@paulchi99]

I don't understand why you recommend Bessey clamps then use vintage irwin clamps and tape out the names with black tape. Whats that all about?

[@georgewallace5727]

Very nice repair. My guess is that's a reproduction of a Federal style child's table and, because it uses dowels instead of sliding dovetails to attach the legs, it's probably from the early to mid 20th century.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for sharing that George. That's a unique perspective I haven't heard yet in the comments. That's helpful in solving the mystery of this small table. Scott

[@kathyk479]

That's a child's table! Like how we have tables and chairs for kids today. Same thing. But this is a more Victorian one!

[@edadpops1709]

Square drive , what is the age of this table

[@JohnWoodrow-s1e]

Thorough

[@FixingFurniture]

I hope you found it helpful. Scott

[@sungsikc]

Why not use some rubber band btw clamping jigs and furniture parts?

[@FixingFurniture]

You could certainly do that. By using softer wood for the clamping cauls, the wood on the furniture won't be damaged. Cheers. Scott

[@ЛилияАлексеева-н4л]

Какие-то маленькие царапины остались, вмятины. Странный ролик! Всегда все ролики восхищают, а этот непонятный. Почему не доделал? С Вашим талантом это легко и быстро! Не поняла

[@garyjones2582]

I wonder if it was meant to be a card table..

[@FixingFurniture]

Oh, interesting. Maybe. Thanks for sharing that Gary! Scott

[@garyjones2582]

@@FixingFurniture Hey Scott I love your work.. I was never any good at carpentry, so I love to watch anyone that is a master in his craft.. Scott you take care my friend and God Bless...

[@kathyk479]

Steaming the wood might have raised the ding in the wood!?

[@pitsnipe5559]

Salesman’s sample

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks for that suggestion on why the table is so small. Cheers. Scott

[@nighthawk9449]

✌

[@kathyk479]

If you have a joint that's not loose don't take it apart if you don't have to or need too! A tight joint that's solid won't be going anywhere in the near future.

[@FixingFurniture]

Agreed When there’s some movement in the joint, it needs to be repaired… sometimes they have a hard time coming apart. Scott

[@beardyface8492]

It's a pedestal table, it'll stay steady till the first or second time it's used. True when new & no repair I've ever seen does any better. They're a disastrous piece if design for a table from start to finish.

[@cliftonshultz2253]

This could have been a salesman display item.

[@jomercer21113]

That seems like an awfully short and skinny tenon holding the pedestal on.

[@joelpinguim7660]

👍495 👏👏👏

[@FixingFurniture]

Thanks Joel!

[@Полина-м1х7п]

Зачем так много говорить ?дизлайк

[@godfrey_of_america]

This table is exactly the same color and style as mine. What is the provenance of this type of furniture? Time period? Maker? Are they considered good furniture or just mass produced common pieces?

[@kevintoye952]

Great job.

[@FixingFurniture]

Thank you Kevin and thank you for being a subscriber. I appreciate your support. Scott